Judgement Day for Brad Trost: When Ideology Trumps Common Decency

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

In November of 2009, Reform-Conservative MP for Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Brad Trost; circulated a petition calling for a stop to federal funding of the International Planned Parenthood Federation.

According to Kevin Blevins with the Leader Post:

Brad Trost is going after International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), an agency that not only is trying to prevent unwanted pregnancies in this overcrowded world, but also diseases like AIDs ... Thankfully, Canadian governments, both Conservative and Liberal, have supported the good work of IPPF, realizing the overall good of the agency outweighs any political agendas. Trost, it appears, is not so sophisticated. He and other ignorant Tories like him in this province should be ashamed. Their small-mindedness feeds the stereotype that Saskatchewan is a social backwater... (1)

Where Blevins went wrong was in assuming that the Conservatives have supported the good work of IPPF. Maybe the original Conservative party, but not the hybrid of the Reform-Alliance:

One of the world’s biggest health-care providers for vulnerable women appears to have fallen victim to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s zero tolerance policy on abortion. In London, International Planned Parenthood Federation is waiting for a call from Canada that will preserve life-saving programs that help 31 million women and children.

But nearly a year after the U.K.-based organization tried to renew its $18 million grant – and on the eve of a G20 summit Harper has focused on maternal health — the line from Ottawa is silent. And, said Human Rights Watch women’s advocate Marianne Mollmann, “the Canadian government’s stance to block support for safe abortions is demonstrably deadly. And announced as part of a maternal health initiative it is also, frankly, absurd.” (2)

No Protection From Sexual Abuse

While the Harper government has remained firm on it's anti-abortion stance, they have also been consistent in denying protection for women and even children, against sexual abuse.

They vehemently opposed a motion by Liberal MP John McKay to go after Canadian mining companies operating overseas, who have been accused of gang-raping protesters according to a United Nations report. (3) In fact, Brent Popplewell reported in the Star that : "The word "Canada" is so reviled in some places that travelling Canadians mask their citizenship by wearing American flags on their caps and backpacks." (4) This because of the horrendous human rights violations.

Les Whittington wrote: "Numerous accounts of rapes show a similar pattern," testified lawyer Sarah Knuckey, who was recounting information gathered at the Porgera Joint Venture (PJV) mine in Papua New Guinea, partly owned by Toronto-based Barrick Gold Corp. "The guards, usually in a group of five or more, find a woman while they are patrolling on or near mine property. They take turns threatening, beating and raping her. "In a number of cases, women reported to me being forced to chew and swallow condoms used by guards during the rape," Knuckey continued." (5)

The Harper government chose to turn a blind eye and instead supported the mining companies.

They have also abandoned initiatives to protect women and children from sexual abuse, used as a weapon of war. As Adrian Bradbury reported in The Mark:

For example, when speaking of the war in the DRC, where upwards of 3 million people have been killed, and rape is widely used as a tool of war, the terms "impunity" and "justice" can no longer be used when calling for an end to, and punishment for, sexual violence. The shift from the term International Humanitarian Law (IHL) to simply International Law, not only blurs two entirely different concepts, but abandons the legal mechanisms developed to protect the rights of civilians, women, and children. (6)

Harper Government Fights on Side of Aids

In 2004, as foreign affairs critic, Stockwell Day refused to send condolences to the people of Palestine over the death of Yassir Arafit, and why? Because he thought he had died of Aids:

In a November 16 email to his Conservative colleagues Mr. Day stated: "Some of you have asked why I have not released a statement of condolence or sympathy. As you know, there are two sides to the Arafat story. You pick...." He then included in the email an article by David Frum, former speech writer for George W. Bush, indulging in unfounded speculation about the cause of Arafat’s death. Frum suggested that Arafat’s symptoms “sounded AIDS-like.” (7)

In 2006 Harper refused to attend an International Aids Conference:

One of the world's leading voices on the AIDS crisis, U.N. Special Envoy for AIDS/HIV Stephen Lewis, said Harper's decision not to attend the important conference is a "dreadful decision" and an "inexcusable" mistake in political judgment. Conference co-chair Mark Wainberg echoed that sentiment and said by not showing up, Harper is sending a message that AIDS is not a priority for his government. (8)

Former Conservative candidate Mark Warner was dropped because he had attended that conference:

But the 43-year-old Warner said the Conservatives party's national office informed him he was no longer their pick because of continued differences of opinion and strategy, as well his penchant for speaking out about subjects that didn't receive party authorization, such as education, affordable housing and HIV/AIDS issues. "Frankly, I felt there was a lot of micromanagement … and I don't think it was legitimate," Warner, an international trade lawyer, told the CBC on Wednesday. "I was going off-message." Warner said references to his attendance at an international AIDS conference in Toronto in 2006 were removed from his bio when he sent it to Ottawa for approval. "It does seem to be something that bothers people and I don't exactly know why," he said. (9)

Plans for an HIV vaccine plant were quietly shelved, despite a 110 million dollar from the Gates Foundation:

Researchers at Winnipeg's International Centre for Infectious Diseases were confident just a few months ago that they would soon play a key role in the global fight against HIV, and in the development of vaccines to combat other diseases. They had good reason. They had privately been told by many sources - including a Manitoba cabinet minister - that the centre was the favoured site of a new $88-million vaccine manufacturing facility to be funded by the federal government and Bill Gates's foundation ... "We started to realize something had gone terribly wrong," said Heather Medwick, the centre's leader. Last week, her fears were confirmed, first by an entry that appeared briefly on a government website stating that Ottawa and the Gates Foundation had "decided not to move forward" with the facility ... The facility, announced with fanfare three years ago by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, with Mr. Gates at his side, was quietly being put aside. So far, the federal government has offered no explanation for the change of heart .... (10)

Again this year Harper turns his back on the Aids Conference:

“My country’s Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, was invited to be a plenary speaker and he refused,” Julio Montaner, president of the International AIDS Society, told reporters Sunday at a press conference before the opening of the International AIDS Conference in Vienna. “He’s not here because he’s afraid to confront the deficit the G8 left on the table,” he said. (11)

And:

In the worldwide fight against deadly HIV/AIDS, many Canadians are punching above their weight. Sadly, the Canadian government is not. While world-ranking advocates and scientists like Stephen Lewis and Dr. Julio Montaner will be among those attending the international AIDS conference that opens today in Vienna, the Harper government will have a much lower profile. (12)

So should we be surprised that Canada has received a failing grade for our Aids prevention and cure?

In the report presented by HIV-positive activists, researchers, AIDS organizations and human rights and HIV/AIDS lawyers, Canada received a failing grade in recognizing the needs of women and girls to protect themselves from HIV and to manage HIV infection. In Canada, the number of infected women continues to rise from just over 11 per cent of new infections prior to 1999 to over 26 per cent in 2008, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. By the end of
2008, the most recent year with data, there were an estimated 14,300 women living with HIV (including AIDS) in Canada, accounting for about 22 per cent of
the national total. (13)

The problem of course is that our government believes that homosexuality is a sin and that Aids is God's punishment.

Prior to the 2006 election, Stephen Harper went on the Drew Marshall Christian radio program.

In Harper’s interview with Drew Marshall, he recalled that his father “became quite an expert in theological matters as he grew older,” and after years as an ardent United Church–goer and elder, suddenly decamped to the Presbyterians. Harper sidestepped the question of why Joseph Harper had jumped ship but he pointedly noted that Marshall’s evangelical audience would get his drift. What he seemed to be referring to was the charged 1988 decision by the United Church General Council to approve the ordination of homosexuals—a decision that provoked thousands of defections. (14)

I think we all get "your drift" Steve. No need to explain.

Sources:

1. Saskatchewan MP Brad Trost launches petition against funding of planned parenthood group By Kevin Blevins, Leader Post, November 4, 2009

2. Planned Parenthood gets silent treatment from Ottawa, IPPF, May 14, 2010

3. The Armageddon Factor: The Rise of Christian Nationalism in Canada, By: Marci McDonald, Random House Canada, 2010, ISBN: 978-0-307-35646-8 3, Pg. 358

4. Canadian mining firms face abuse allegations: A private member's bill aims to impose controls on powerful Canadian mining companies that operate overseas, By Brett Popplewell, Toronto Star, November 22, 2009

5. MPs told of gang rapes at mine: Toronto-based company hotly denies crime at South Pacific site, By Les Whittington, Toronto Star, November 24, 2009

6. Recent changes to the language of Canadian foreign policy represent a fundamental shift in how the country presents itself to the world, By Adrian Bradbury, The Mark, December 2, 2009

7. The Man Who Walks with Dinosaurs: The return of Stockwell Day, who now implies that people with AIDS deserve no sympathy, By Murray Dobbin, The Tyee, December 1, 2004

8. Harper Under Heavy Criticism For Declining AIDS Conference Invite, CityNews, CityTV, August 13, 2008

9. Tories drop 2 would-be Ontario candidates: Mark Warner, Brent Barr no longer party's picks, CBC News,
October 31, 2007

10. Winnipeg HIV vaccine plant quietly shelved, By Elizabeth Church, Globe and Mail Canada, January 28, 2010

11. Harper afraid to show his face at global AIDS conference, doctor charges , By André Picard, Globe and Mail, July 18, 2010

12. Ottawa MIA in AIDS fight, Toronto Star, July 17, 2010

13. Canada gets failing grade in battling AIDS, By Mark Iype, Vancouver Sun, July 20, 2010

14. Stephen Harper and the Theo-cons: The rising clout of Canada's religious right, By Marci McDonald, The Walrus, October 2006

Reform Conservatives Are Still Not Taking H1N1 Seriously

This is what happens when a government becomes so wrapped up in partisan advertising, trying to give the illusion that they are handling the economy, while a health crisis is on our doorstep. From the beginning, they gave us nothing, but instead played the blame game.

This is simply not good enough.

The Auditor General gave our Safety Minister and his department a failing grade on preparations for a pandemic. Big cheques and big egos took priority. And now look at the mess. Yet they still refuse to admit they did anything wrong and are simply not taking this seriously.

From CTV’s Question Period (after interviewing Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq):

JANE TABER: What did you take from the interview that Craig did with the Health Minister? What have we learned, anything?

GREG WESTON (Sun Media): I think the first thing that I was struck with, Jane, pardon the expression, is, I thought it was about as compassionate as a needle in the arm. You know here we have people who are standing in line for six, seven hours, being turned away, after months of being told that they had to get out and get the swine flu shot. Now we've had a couple of unfortunate deaths, parents who are understandably desperately worried about their kids, and they're being told that it's a jurisdictional issue, or they're being told, well, that's the provinces' responsibility, it's not the federal responsibility. I mean this is exactly what will make people throw things at their television, I think. You know, this is the worst side of government is a lack of compassion, when they get too locked up in process and they forget how do we help these people out there, and no government is answering that, and, frankly, the communications on this, as Craig pointed out on a few times, have just resulted in mass confusion and now panic.

Urgency from feds still lacking
Globe and Mail
November 3, 2009

The bumps in Canada's biggest-ever vaccination campaign that sparked an emergency debate in the House of Commons last night seemed inevitable. From the beginning of the H1N1 pandemic there has been a calm, verging at times on complacency, from federal officials. On top of that, jurisdictions overlap, making for a cacophony of voices. As a test of Canada's ability to handle a truly severe pandemic (which this one may yet become), it has raised serious questions.

The debate gives the opposition parties, and Parliament as a whole, a chance to express a sense of urgency about the outbreak. Too often the process of the past several months seemed mere spoon-feeding of the public at news conferences. The United States, by contrast, held a televised town hall session featuring governors, health officials, school leaders and President Barack Obama, at which anxious questions were raised in the open. Perhaps because the public was left out, public health officials were surprised by the demand for the vaccine – Toronto, the biggest city in the country, initially opened just two clinics for all the people most at risk from the disease.

Mr. Obama has daily briefings on the swine flu. His administration's handling of it is considered a major test of his leadership. In Ottawa, by comparison, Prime Minister Stephen Harper flubbed the question of whether he was going to be vaccinated. “If it's recommended,” he said, seemingly the last to know that it was recommended, and that the entire country was waiting on the regulatory t's and i's to be crossed and dotted.

It is not farfetched that a more severe pandemic will come along some day, perhaps soon. Peter Doherty, a Nobel Laureate immunologist from Australia, said when he was in Canada last week that he is surprised, given that great numbers of animals and people live in close proximity in some parts of the world, there haven't been more pandemics (Dr. Doherty thought the world may be doing something right in surveillance and prevention).

Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq insisted in the House yesterday afternoon that the vaccine was ready “two weeks ahead of schedule.” In fact, some Canadian children have died in the past week and yet the vaccine isn't ready yet for children, except those under 5. In these circumstances, Canadians have a right to demand more from government, and last night's debate is a step toward that accountability.

Tories slammed for bad decisions, poor communications on H1N1 vaccine

A Timeline

Do you think the government mishandled the swine flu vaccination process?

Bush and Harper Appoint Climate Change Deniers to Science Boards

When George Bush wanted to make sure sure that the oil and gas industry would be allowed to continue their operations unchecked, he established the National Energy Policy Task Force, headed up by his VP, Dick Cheney.

This task force completely ignored reports that carbon emissions were accelerating Global Warming, and instead hired people directly from the oil and gas sector to write environmental policy.

The first six months of the Bush administration were a giddy time for the fossil fuels and nuclear industries. After eight years of treading lightly around Bill Clinton's centrist energy policies, the "Old Fuels Club" was warmly welcomed back into the White House. Not only were their opinions sought, but these companies were even asked to help write the largest review of energy policy since Jimmy Carter preached conservation in a cardigan.

By the time the Bush-Cheney energy policy was announced, in June 2001, the oil, gas, coal, and nuclear industries were slated to be awarded $28 billion in tax breaks and the keys to some of our country's most precious natural assets. Indeed, the debate over energy—how it's supplied, how it's financed, and how it's consumed—has been one of the defining issues of George W. Bush's presidency. The Bush energy plan was developed in closed-door sessions by Vice President Cheney and his National Energy Policy Task Force. (1)

Every agency tied to the environment was stacked with industry hacks. And seeing as how it worked so well for the Bush Administration, Stephen Harper followed suit, appointing climate change deniers to science boards:

Already alarmed over funding cuts to basic research, scientists say two appointments in particular are worrisome. Mark Mullins, the executive director of the conservative-leaning Fraser Institute — and a former adviser to the Canadian Alliance Party — was recently appointed to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), which funds university research projects that have included studies on climate change.

Dr. Mullins is an economist and critic of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the United Nations-sanctioned scientific body that has authored warnings of floods, famine and extinctions that triggered political efforts around the world to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. More than 200 Canadian scientists have contributed to the IPCC's work and most of them are employed by the federal government. The 18-member NSERC already includes another Harper government appointee, mathematician Christopher Essex, who wrote a book challenging the "myth of climate change."

On the same day Dr. Mullins was appointed to NSERC, April 23, another skeptic of global warming was appointed to the board of the Canada Foundation for Innovation, which funds large research projects. John Weissenberger is a close friend of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, a former chief of staff in the Harper government and a geologist who works for Husky Energy in Alberta. Dr. Weissenberger has written opinion pieces in the media and on his Internet blog expressing his "skepticism about global warming." That and other comments by the two appointees on the public record were compiled by NDP researchers and verified by The Globe and Mail. (2)

And like the Bush Administration, the Harper government has awarded enormous grants and tax breaks to the oil and gas sector, while failing to address the threat of global warming altogether.

Sources:

1. The Book on Bush: How George W. (mis) Leads America, By Eric Alterman and Mark Green, Penguin Books, 2004, ISBN: 0-670-03273-5, Pg. 16.

2. Global warming critics appointed to science boards Harper government's actions are 'dreadful' and undercut public pledges to tackle climate change, leading glaciologist says, By Bill Curry, Globe and Mail, May 11, 2009